The 80’s in Brazil: While the headlines warned about AIDS and the country took its first steps towards democracy whilst facing the highest inflation rate in its history (85% per month!); the Brazilian urban youth – sons of the dictatorship, censorship, television and the consumer society – also sought to reinvent their place within this new context. Thus emerged Brazilian Pop Rock: irreverent, uncompromising and free to openly portray their desires and their reality.

By analysing the names of the songs of this period, we can see how this generation, who were accused of being superficial, banal and alienated, were well aware of these accusations but not worried about proving anything to anyone: “You didn’t know how to love me”, “Guess what”, “Coca-Cola generation, ” “Waste of time”, “Useless,” “Rebel without a cause,” “We’ll invade your beach,” “Police”, “Primate human,” ” Gross animals ,” “My fault,” “Boredom,” “Decadence avec elegance”, “ Abandoned grown up,” “Fleeting” and “We are who we can be.” With this attitude, “Almost by contradiction”, its lyrics ended up impressing and some of it’s composers, began to be respected as “poets,” having their songs re-recorded continuously: Renato Russo ( Legião Urbana) and Cazuza ( Barao Vermelho) – both victims of AIDS; Arnaldo Antunes (Titas) and Herbert Vianna (Paralamas do Sucesso).

Musically, the main influences were rock, pop, new wave and punk. The “Paralamas do Sucesso” were also highlighted as one of the only bands of the period who successfully mixed rock with other styles such as reggae, ska, African and Latin rhythms; introducing horns to their arrangements.

In 1985, the Brazilian entrepreneur Roberto Medina, motivated by the potential of the movement, produced the largest Rock Festival of all time, Rock in Rio I, which had an audience of nearly 1.5 million people (equivalent to five times that at Woodstock) . The festival got global media coverage by uniting national icons – such as: Barao Vermelho, Blitz, Eduardo Dusek, Kid Abelha, Lulu Santos, Paralamas do Sucesso, and Rita Lee – with international stars such as : Queen, AC / DC, Al Jarreau, The B -52 ‘s, George Benson, The Go-Go’s, Iron Maiden, James Taylor, Nina Hagen, Ozzy Osbourne, Rod Stewart, Scorpions, Whitesnake and Yes. However, the only Brazilian metal band recognized in the international Rock circuit today is Sepultura.

The list of the major artists who gained national prominence includes: